Flexible picture packages with Smart Objects

Place multiple photos into a picture
package

To use the optional Picture
Package plug-in described below, first download it for Windows or Mac OS. You can also create picture
and custom packages in Photoshop Lightroom, if you have it. See Choose a print template in Lightroom
Help.

With
the optional Picture Package plug-in, you can place multiple copies
of an image on a single page, much as portrait studios do with school
photos. You can also place different images on the same page. You
can choose from a variety of size and placement options to customize
your package layout.

A picture package layout

Picture Package is an optional plug-in. Download
and install it for Windows or Mac OS.

If you’re using only the frontmost image or a selected
image from Bridge, skip to step 3.

Add one or more images to the layout by doing one of
the following:

In the Source Images area of the Picture Package dialog box, choose either File or Folder from the Use menu and click Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS). If you choose Folder, you can select Include All Subfolders to include images inside any subfolders.

Click a placeholder in the preview layout and browse to select an image.

Click a placeholder in the Picture Package preview layout, then browse to select an image.

Drag an image from the desktop or a folder into a placeholder.

Add an image to a picture package by dragging the image from the desktop into a placeholder.

You can change any image in the layout by clicking a placeholder
and browsing to select an image.

In the Document area of the Picture Package dialog box,
select page size, layout, resolution, and color mode. A thumbnail
of the chosen layout appears on the right side of the dialog box.

Select Flatten All Layers to create a picture package
with all images and label text on a single layer. Deselect Flatten
All Layers to create a picture package with separate image layers
and text layers (for labels). If you place each image and label
on a separate layer, you can update your picture package after it’s been
saved. However, the layers increase the file size of your picture
package.

In the Label area, choose the source for label text from
the Content menu or choose None. If you choose Custom Text, enter
the text for the label in the Custom Text field.

Customize a picture package layout

You can modify existing layouts or create
new layouts using the Picture Package Edit Layout feature. Custom
layouts are saved as text files and stored in the Layouts folder
inside the Presets folder. You can then reuse your saved layouts. The
Picture Package Edit Layout feature uses a graphic interface that
eliminates the need to write text files to create or modify layouts.

Do one of the following:

(Photoshop) Choose File > Automate >
Picture Package.

(Bridge) Choose Tools > Photoshop >
Picture Package.

In the Picture Package dialog box, choose a layout from
the Layout menu if you’re creating a layout or customizing an existing
one.

Click the Edit Layout button.

In the Picture Package Edit Layout dialog box, enter
a name for the custom layout in the Name text box.

(Optional) In the Layout area of the Picture Package
Edit Layout dialog box, choose a size from the Page Size menu or
enter values in the Width and Height text boxes. You can use the
Units menu to specify inches, centimeters, pixels, or millimeters.

Dragging a placeholder to a new location in the Picture Package
layout

In the Grid area of the Picture Package Edit Layout dialog
box, select the Snap To option to display a grid to help you position
the elements in the custom layout. Enter a value in the Size text
box to change the appearance of the grid.

To add or delete a placeholder, do one of the following:

Click Add Zone to add a placeholder to
the layout.

Select a placeholder and click Delete Zone to delete
it from the layout.

To modify a placeholder, select a placeholder and do
any of the following:

Enter values in the Width and Height text
boxes to resize a placeholder.

Click and drag a handle to resize a placeholder.
If you resize a rectangle placeholder with an image in it, Picture
Package will snap the image within the vertical or horizontal placeholder,
depending on the way the zone is being resized.

Enter values in the X and Y text boxes to move a
placeholder.

Click and drag a placeholder to the location you
want in the layout.

Click Save.

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